56th Overall Draft Pick: DUKE DAWSON (merged)

[Ring 6]

My thoughts after watching some highlight tape on him. I'll try to list things not listed here.

Pros: One thing that stuck out about him to me is how he doesn't tend to allow YAC. I don't just mean by making the tackle but the way he does it. He is 208lbs but he plays bigger. He hits low and hard and usually stops guys dead when he does it. I saw a number of plays where guys weren't even able to fall forward for an extra yard. He plays with suddenness and violence for a CB. His days at safety may have something to do with it. He is clearly a slot guy which can be a full time position on a lot of teams but in a pinch could play outside for a little bit. He seems to have a good feel for the game and won't let RBs in the back field or QBs run for a lot of yards in his zone. When facing the play in the slot there isn't much any player facing him can do. I don't know a lot of info about how he is with his back turned.

Cons: I saw all 6 of his interceptions and not one was actually made by him. All of them were freak plays or horrible offensive plays or lucky bounces. I never saw him make his own interception (as in grab a ball away from a WR with a great play or pull a SB49 Butler type play). This to me in concerning with such a large sample size. It sucks too cause when he has the ball in his hands he's dangerous. With such a large sample size not seeing 1 such play is concerning. I saw him a few times get beat vertically on tape (not by a mile mind you). With a perfect or close to perfect pass he would have give up TDs on those plays. It is concerning cause while he is great in the slot if we play man and the slot option gets vertical I'm not sure how he will handle it.

Overall I think it's a solid enough pick but to be honest I don't completely love it. The Pats play a lot of 3 safety and in that case the slot CB comes off the field. I am not saying a nickle CB can't be worth a 2nd but as much as the Pats play 3 safety I don't think they will get full value out of the pick as much as a team that did mostly cover 2 in a 4-2-5 or high cover 1 would.

I think he will be a good player for the Pats and not bust as he is specialized and I think that tends to bode well for making the transition into the NFL in cases of guys who aren't super talents. Overall I grade it a solid B.

Considering multiple safety defenses are where we got killed last year perhaps this is a move to get more 3 corner nickel on the field. This guy plays the run very well too so that can make it even more effective.

 

[Ring 6]

Don't know why you would want a tall slot corner. Quick and strong.

Because then they would have to work to find another reason to ***** about the pick

 

[edkk323]

Because then they would have to work to find another reason to ***** about the pick

Duke is taller than Mike Hughes and Alexander. People just love to complaint about nothing. CB over 5'10 is not undersized. Please pretend to know more than the staffs.

 

[luuked]

Considering multiple safety defenses are where we got killed last year perhaps this is a move to get more 3 corner nickel on the field. This guy plays the run very well too so that can make it even more effective.

I agree. I think we will see fewer 3 safety sets this year if Dawson plays up to his potential. Good slot corners are damn important and we really had a hole there when Ryan left that contributed to getting beat so often in the SB. This is a low key move that might keep Jordan Richards off the field (and maybe even the 53). Similarly, unless Cyrus does a 180 in camp and shows up confident (what killed him in y1) and healthy (y2) this will most probably be the end of line for him.

 

[Jlaff]

So we added the 90th 5'10 CB of the Bellichick era to go along with the 105 OT's we've added this offseason. So I'm guessing we didn't get a pick in the 3rd round, so what do we have left beyond next year's 2nd rounder from the Bears.

Still happy to see Shaqueem Griffin not taken yet. That wouldn't be a bad fourth round to nab Griffin and Lauletta.

Hearing the name Shaqueem makes me feel the pendulum on making up names for your kids has swung as far as it can.

 

[Deus Irae]

"I'm not sure about Duke Dawson. I don't really like the pick, because X".

"Who are you to question the pick? BB knows what he's doing, and you're just some message board unknown."

"Well, why did The Patriots need to take this kid?"

"Because Cyrus Jones is a bust."

"Who drafted Cyrus Jones?"

"Bill Belic....

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Every patriots draft's like BB in the press conferences lol. I guess we should be used to it already. I guess he didn't like much of the defensive talent this year just like last season.

 

[Deus Irae]

Every patriots draft's like BB in the press conferences lol. I guess we should be used to it already. I guess he didn't like much of the defensive talent this year just like last season.

It may be that Vrabel boxed him out of a couple of his picks. That possibility adds a touch of drama to things.

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

It may be that Vrabel boxed him out of a couple of his picks. That possibility adds a touch of drama to things.

I definitely saw that with the first round pick. I did hear though that they tried to trade up for the OL from Arkansas. Idk if he would have picked Evans over wynn if both where available at 23. BB's very unpredictable

 

[goheels22002]

Is this the player who was selected with the pick the Patriots received in exchange for Garoppolo?

 

[VJCPatriot]

Is this the player who was selected with the pick we got for Garoppolo?

Not literally no. But partially yes.

We got #43 for Jimmy G from the 9ers.

We traded down from #43 once obtaining picks #51 and #117.

Then we traded down a second time from #51 obtaining a 2019 2nd round pick and pick #105.

We then traded up from our own pick at #63 + pick # 117 to move up for Dawson at #56.

So we used part of the Garappolo bounty for Dawson.

But the main picks that will directly come from Jimmy G trade are #105 if we use it tomorrow and the 2019 2nd round Bears pick.

Dawson is only a partial bounty from the Jimmy G trade.

 

[Deus Irae]

I definitely saw that with the first round pick. I did hear though that they tried to trade up for the OL from Arkansas. Idk if he would have picked Evans over wynn if both where available at 23. BB's very unpredictable

I read that too. While I'm not sure I buy it, it would actually add even more drama, since that was a case of Patricia and the Lions making the block. BB might have been blocked by pair of ex-Pats, rather than just by one.

 

[Nunchucks]

My thoughts after watching some highlight tape on him. I'll try to list things not listed here.

Pros: One thing that stuck out about him to me is how he doesn't tend to allow YAC. I don't just mean by making the tackle but the way he does it. He is 208lbs but he plays bigger. He hits low and hard and usually stops guys dead when he does it. I saw a number of plays where guys weren't even able to fall forward for an extra yard. He plays with suddenness and violence for a CB. His days at safety may have something to do with it. He is clearly a slot guy which can be a full time position on a lot of teams but in a pinch could play outside for a little bit. He seems to have a good feel for the game and won't let RBs in the back field or QBs run for a lot of yards in his zone. When facing the play in the slot there isn't much any player facing him can do. I don't know a lot of info about how he is with his back turned.

Cons: I saw all 6 of his interceptions and not one was actually made by him. All of them were freak plays or horrible offensive plays or lucky bounces. I never saw him make his own interception (as in grab a ball away from a WR with a great play or pull a SB49 Butler type play). This to me in concerning with such a large sample size. It sucks too cause when he has the ball in his hands he's dangerous. With such a large sample size not seeing 1 such play is concerning. I saw him a few times get beat vertically on tape (not by a mile mind you). With a perfect or close to perfect pass he would have give up TDs on those plays. It is concerning cause while he is great in the slot if we play man and the slot option gets vertical I'm not sure how he will handle it.

Overall I think it's a solid enough pick but to be honest I don't completely love it. The Pats play a lot of 3 safety and in that case the slot CB comes off the field. I am not saying a nickle CB can't be worth a 2nd but as much as the Pats play 3 safety I don't think they will get full value out of the pick as much as a team that did mostly cover 2 in a 4-2-5 or high cover 1 would.

I think he will be a good player for the Pats and not bust as he is specialized and I think that tends to bode well for making the transition into the NFL in cases of guys who aren't super talents. Overall I grade it a solid B.

Maybe they want to move away from the three safety model and go with a true slot Cb who can tackle.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

Hearing the name Shaqueem makes me feel the pendulum on making up names for your kids has swung as far as it can.

shaq + hakeem fan?

 

[50-yard-line]

Maybe they want to move away from the three safety model and go with a true slot Cb who can tackle.

I thought I had read that Dawson also played some safety.

 

[50-yard-line]

I read that too. While I'm not sure I buy it, it would actually add even more drama, since that was a case of Patricia and the Lions making the block. BB might have been blocked by pair of ex-Pats, rather than just by one.

Well, but then BB traded with Patricia later on.

 

[50-yard-line]

Very surprised by the pick. I thought that if the Pats were to take a corner, it would be a raw but very physical CB2, who needed a year or two. This looks more like Arrington (which wouldn't be bad). Maybe they're high on Lewis, but then that makes the CB pick even more surprising, especially given J Jones' progress last year.

Did they think this guy could help them more than Lorenzo Carter? Or Harold Landry (I know he didn't fit their scheme, but blue chip talent)? Malik Jefferson?

BB must like his front seven with the Return of Hightower, Rivers, Valentine and Langi and the additions of Clayborn and Shelton.

Very surprised...and Day 2 was boring, but I still love day 1!

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Butler was a 5'10 physical run stopping corner. This draft pick looks the same way. No idea why with a corner like this they still thought a 3 safety defense was a good idea. It sucked the entire month of September as well as lost the Super Bowl.

 

[long distance]

Dawson was one of my early binkies . i cooled off a bit after his constant antics after the whistle. But if BB doesn't see that as a problem - and trading up in the second would suggest that he doesn't - one can be both excited and happy about this pick (not necessarily about the trade up but that doesn't really matter esp. in this draft)

Did predict slot CB (and hoped for a QB) in several threads so I should be happy esp. since all PT developmental QB prospects are still on board. I hope that the fact they moved out of Day 2 doesn't mean they are low on them but just their feeling how the board plays out...

 

[Kontradiction]

He'll translate to the slot early on in his rookie career and should help push Cyrus the Virus to either get his act together or off the roster. I liked Dawson at Florida. He's a very strong, aggressive (sometimes overly so) press man specialist. Receivers in the SEC had a lot of trouble getting off of his jams. I was surprised they went that route last night (I wanted Carter or Reid), but corner is a need. It should also allow them to get away from the disastrous big nickel that they got killed in last year (and decided it was a good idea to use in the Super Bowl).